Weather and Traffic

Lifestyle

Classic stories aren’t always kind to female characters. But rather than being simply damsels in distress, how these women adapt to their circumstances is how they reveal their initially hidden strengths and wisdom. These are the roles at which Jill Blackwood, Austin’s marquee musical theater actor, excels. Try just these emblematic roles on for size: Anna in “The King and I&rdquo...

Looking for some Memorial Day weekend fun? Check out these upcoming events … NLand Surf Park will hold a Float the Moat event from 1-7 p.m. Saturday. Photo courtesy NLand Surf Park Trade your surfboard for a tube at NLand Surf Park’s Float the Moat event from 1-7 p.m. Saturday. For $15 per hour, you can
loll around on a tube while you watch a show that includes belly dancing...

School is finally almost over. The temperature is on the rise, and soon, a chorus of “I’m bored,” might be heard coming from
your house. It’s summer in Austin. Luckily, it is summer in Austin, which means you can find something to do with the kids every day. Check out our list and find more at
austin360.com/raisingaustin. A-list: Families play...

A Burmese python escaped from its owner and is now missing in a neighborhood in Beech Grove, Indiana. >> Read more trending news The snake, named Vine, disappeared five days ago, according to WISH-TV. The owner released this video of the snake lounging in a small pond. Police are asking anyone who sees the 14-foot-long snake not to approach it, but to call 911, according to a...

Kaleb Rosenberg will race in his first adult triathlon this Memorial Day – the Life Time Tri CapTex. Family photo Want a jolt of inspiration? Head downtown to watch the Life Time Tri CapTex, which is expected to draw nearly 3,000 athletes
to downtown Austin on Memorial Day. And if you’re waffling about whether or not to compete, take note. It’s not too late to register...

A 10-year-old Labrador has made way for ducklings after their mother disappeared and left the baby birds orphaned. His name is Fred and is the “resident dog” at Mountfitchet Castle in Essex, England, Insider reported. In something straight out of a children’s book, Fred has taken over for the missing mother and has become a foster dad to the nine chicks. >> Read more trending...

On Friday, Netflix released the second season of “13 Reasons Why,” the show based on the book by Jay Asher, that is a suicide
letter to people in a teen’s life after her suicide. I got this letter from my daughter’s middle school counseling team: “13 Reasons Why” (Beth Dubber/Netflix) Even if your children are not watching the show, they may be hearing...

You take your dog or cat to the vet. The technician needs to draw some blood, clip some nails, check a temperature. Your animal is then taken to the mysterious back. Your pet is returned to you minutes later. What just happened? You’ll never really know. Or your dog needs a good dental cleaning or a minor surgery. That all happens out of view in that same mysterious back portion of the office...

Monday, the
American Academy of Pediatrics released a study done in Norway that might shed some light into why many kids are given a false-negative diagnosis for autism at 18 months. Dylan Flint, 7, and Liesa Randel get their boarding passes for the Wings for All flight for children with autism to practice
going through security and boarding a plane. Nicole Villalpando/American-Statesman&nbsp...

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released this bit of information last week: 1 in 3 waterborne disease outbreaks traced happen in hotel pools or hot tubs. There have been about 500 waterborne disease outbreaks from 2000 to 2014. In addition to hotel pools and hot tubs, water parks
have also been to blame. Diseases include things like Cryptosporidium, Pseudomonas,&nbsp...

A new member of the royal family is making headlines – and no, we're not talking about Meghan Markle. According to the Guardian, a beagle named Guy was in a Kentucky kill shelter until Ontario-based A Dog's Dream Rescue saved him and offered him for adoption at a 2015 event in Canada. That's where he met his new owner, Markle, who went on to marry Britain's Prince Harry on Saturday. A royal...

Stephen Sondheim is the most important creative artist in American theater history. There, I said it. “Wait a minute,” you object with reason. “What about all the other American playwrights, composers and lyricists whose work is regularly revived and who form a part of our ongoing cultural conversation? Especially those early-to-mid-century composers whose ineradicable songs define...

Another school shooting. How do we explain this to our kids? Sometimes it can feel like: “What can you say that you haven’t said multiple times this school year?” In October, Jane Ripperger-Suhler, a child psychiatrist at Seton’s Texas Child Study Center, had this advice for parents about
how much we should say about a shooting such as the one in Las Vegas...

We love the outdoors and would rather romp through a swaying field of grass or plunge into a thicket of trees than just about anything. Sometimes, though, it feels like Mother Nature wants to prove she’s tougher than us. And it’s obvious she is, if you’ve ever had a run-in with a patch of poison ivy, accidentally kicked a fire ant mound or gotten stung by a scorpion. To improve the...

Our smartwatches are fun. Our smartwatches are cool. Now, our smartwatches could also save a life. A special kind of smartwatch can send a text message, place a phone call and even make a record of every time someone with epilepsy has a seizure. Earlier this year, the Food and Drug Administration approved Embrace, a smartwatch that does just that. Austinite Elaina Cione, 15, has been wearing an Embrace...

When he isn’t busy delivering babies, Dr. Mark Akin enjoys sitting with his wife, Debi Akin, by a pond on their property. “It’s so peaceful to watch the fish swim and look at the beauty of all of it,” says Akin, 66, whose 3 acres in the West Lake Hills area has two ponds. One pond has 166,000 gallons of water “for collection of water for irrigation,” he says, while...

May is National Mental Health Month which encourages the awareness and promotion of mental health. The theme for this year is “Live Your Life Well,” which is particularly resonant in the midst of our country’s increasing diversity. One of the greatest areas of diversity is religion and spirituality. Historically, religion and psychology have often been at odds with each other. As...

A kind-hearted resident of Bartlett, Illinois, with a sharp eye, noticed an adorable puppy on the side of a busy road last week and brought it to the village police department. >> Read more trending news Bartlett police were smitten, as well, which was apparent in a tweet the department sent out. “He was quite the attraction at the PD,” the department said. The only thing &hellip...

On Monday, the first patients will be admitted into the new Grace Grego Maxwell Mental Health Unit at Dell Children’s Medical Center of Central Texas. The center, which was made possible by a $3 million donation and matching grant from Nyle and Nancy Maxwell and their family in January 2017, is named after Nyle Maxwell’s mother, a longtime volunteer at the hospital. “As with most...

On Monday, the first patients will be admitted into the new Grace Grego Maxwell Mental Health Unit at Dell Children’s Medical
Center of Central Texas. The center, which was made possible by a $3 million donation and matching grant from Nyle and Nancy Maxwell and their family
in January 2017,
is named after Nyle Maxell’s mother, a longtime volunteer...

What was at first thought a sea turtle, was actually a small, terrified dog treading water off Okaloosa County, Florida. Luckily when Marine Unit Sgt. Brian Parkton decided to check out the animal on Friday, he was able to rescue the dog that was looking for its owners, the Miami Herald reported. The entire episode was caught on video and uploaded to YouTube. >> Read more trending...

It was a match made in a war zone that now has a happy ending with a long-awaited reunion. Sgt. Tracy McKithern found a small stray dog hanging around camp when she was deployed to Iraq last year. But it wasn’t uncommon to see dogs roaming the streets in Iraq. The dog and her mom were abused, kicked and hit with rocks. They were also starving, the Army said. >> Read more trending...

Viral sensations are often forgotten about after a few days — the Mannequin Challenge comes to mind — but there’s a new one that a future dog owner or two will remember forever. The Atlanta Humane Society jumped at the latest trend sweeping the internet by naming one puppy Yanny, the other Laurel. People have been hotly debating which one of those words can be&nbsp...

Theater & dance “All My Sons.” Arthur Miller’s timeless masterpiece about one man’s dogged, deadly search for the American dream — and the destruction of his family as a result of his actions — will once again grip audiences in this City Theatre production. 8 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, 3 p.m. Sunday through June 3. $10-$25. 3823 Airport Blvd. 512-524-2870, citytheatreaustin...

A vicious attack by seven small dogs has left an Oklahoma woman dead. Tracie Garcia was walking near her home outside of the town of Ardmore just after 10 p.m. on May 10 when she was attacked by the dogs, KXII reported. She later died at a hospital. There were conflicting statements about the type of dogs involved in the attack. An initial report that a pit bull was involved was...

Doctors at Dell Medical School at the University of Texas and at all Seton Healthcare Family hospitals are rethinking they
way they treat mothers for pain after a Cesarean section or a vaginal delivery. The new protocol has decreased the use of opioids by more than 40 percent while new moms are in the hospital. “We changed
the way we want to manage pain,” says Dr...

Parents of kids who play football or who are thinking about playing football this fall, you might want to pay attention to
a
new study published in the “Annals of Neurology.” The study from researchers at Boston University looked at donated brains from 246 football players. 211 of them had signs
of
CTE — chronic...

In 2006, Qusay Hussein was left for dead after a suicide attack in his native Mosul, Iraq. The explosion blew off his face and left him blind. In 2018, Hussein donned the robes of a recipient of an Austin Community College associate degree and spoke at the graduation ceremony last week about his journey. “Each one of us has something to learn and something to teach,” he told the cheering...

Trail Roots is partnering with The Loop Running Supply to offer a free trail running series this summer. Photo courtesy The
Loop Running Supply A few more to add to the seemingly endless supply of free fitness opportunities around Austin … The Loop Running Supply is partnering with Trail Roots to offer a free summer trail series that kicks off Saturday with a
...

Good news out of the University of Texas Dell Medical School: A new treatment of combining two drugs after having a mini stroke or transient ischemic stroke has been shown to lower the
risk of having a major stroke, heart attack or death by 25 percent in the next 90 days. The international study of 4,881 adults
in 10 countries was published in The New England Journal of Medicine...

A dog didn’t hesitate to save its canine companion after the dog fell into a pool. Smokey and Remus play by the pool frequently Laurie Becerra told KNXV. But this time things didn’t happen as usual. Smokey fell in and couldn’t get out. >> Read more trending news So Remus did what any person would have done in the situation and jumped in to save his doggie...

Last year, I put 16 mosquito repellents to the test, and found some definite winners — and some losers. This year, I grabbed 21 sunscreens of various types and tested them. I have very fair skin (ghostlike, my family says) and
burn easily. I tried the sunscreens while gardening, while going for a long hike in the middle of Austin in the heat of the
day (don’t try...

Runners get their miles in on the Butler Hike and Bike Trail around Lady Bird Lake in downtown Austin. Photo by Ralph Barrera/American-Statesman Another day, another ranking of the fittest cities in America. Yawn. This time, the American College of Sports Medicine’s American Fitness Index Ranking anoints Arlington, Virginia, as the fittest
city in the country. Austin slides in...

After they were missing for 10 days, two dogs have finally been rescued after an active volcano started spewing lava on Hawaii. Brus and Little Dude ran away as firefighters evacuated their owner Carol Hosley from her apartment while Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano erupted. First, Jack-Russel-pug-mix Brus ran away from the firefighters, and then Little Dude, a black terrier mix, followed after...

Here’s a number where Texas doesn’t want to be No. 1: No. 1 in the fewest substance abuse treatment centers per 100,000 drug users. Keep prescriptions and other medications away from children. Liz O. Baylen/Los Angeles Times file The new study from Wallet Hub has Texas as No. 37 for the worst drug abuse problem by state, but that number of substance
abuse treatment centers...

Fiona — the Cincinnati Zoo’s celebrity hippo — was recently spotted giving her mom hugs and kisses. Videos from the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden show Fiona interacting with her mom, Bibi. Fiona was born premature in January 2017 and received around-the-clock care. She weighed 29 pounds, which zoo officials said is well below a baby hippo’s typical weight. Hippos...

Singer, actor and TV personality Harry Connick Jr. and his wife, Jill Goodacre Connick, are coming to Austin, but this time it won’t be for a movie premiere (he’s shot two here), and it won’t be to perform. Instead, he will talk about turning 50 and the importance of getting screened for colon cancer. “Cancer’s been unfortunately a part of my life for as long as I can...

Soggy diapers. Rotten banana peels. Week-old shrimp. And that brown liquid that collects in a trash can and cements wayward wrappers, coffee filters and paper scraps to the bottom like a disgusting papier-mâché project. With 17 combined years working in the waste industry, Eric Viele and his brother-in-law Todd Weathers had regularly experienced things that were unpleasant and foul. But...

When the human's away, the dogs will play. >> Read more trending news According to ABC News, some photogenic pups at an Ohio doggy daycare recently gained online fame after their adorable "selfie" went viral on Facebook. >> Need something to lift your spirits? Read more uplifting news The playful pic, posted March 30 by Go Fetch Dog Daycare and Boarding in Cincinnati...

Dierdre Wolownick spent last Halloween inching her way up a 3,000-foot rock face alongside Alex Honnold, one of the world’s strongest climbers. He’s also Wolownick’s son. That experience affirmed Wolownick, 66, as the oldest woman to climb El Capitan, the same wall that Honnold had become, less than four months earlier, the first person to scale without safety ropes or harnesses...

What with May 23 being the first Blues on the Green show of the season, the BotG powers that be waited until the end of the Black Angels show to announce that Bob Schneider and Superfonicos would be the next act to play the storied series. Ol’ Bob and Superfonicos plays the Green (aka Zilker Park) June 13.

OK, Marfa, Texas, doesn’t take much more than a long weekend to look around and maybe eat a taco or something. But we are always here for some good ol’ Marfa weirdness, including this story reported by the fine people at Wired about, well, “one man's mysterious vision.” Artist Haroon Mirza trucked in “nine massive chunks of quarried black marble&rdquo...

As has been documented elsewhere, the jacket game in the “Star Wars” movies is tremendous. And no matter what that admittedly excellent survey says, Han Solo rocked better outerwear than anyone. The dude redefined what a space pirate should look like. Over the decades since the arrival of “A New Hope” (then merely called “Star Wars,” kiddies), how many...

A Lowell, Massachusetts, man had a special delivery to deal with on the highway: his own baby. Samuel Beyene's wife Rahel Estifanos called him at work Wednesday morning, saying she was having contractions. >> Read more trending news "We start driving, and all of a sudden, she says, 'Oh my God, something is pushing. Something is coming out,'" Beyene said. &quot...

ATX Television Festival premiered its inaugural podcast series, The TV Campfire, as a part of its ATX TV Podcast Network. The series is co-produced by Madica Productions and provides an insider's perspective into the world of television with special guests including “Scrubs” and “Cougar Town” producer Bill Lawrence, “Wire” and “Treme” producer David...

In October 2016, Starwars.com confirmed what had been rumored: Donald Glover had been hired to play a young Lando Calrissian in “Solo: A Star Wars Story.” At the time, Glover was best know as a comedy writer on “30 Rock,” a strong actor on the sitcom “Community,” a good-not-great stand-up comic, and a musical artist called Childish Gambino whose second...

Memorial Day weekend is upon us, which marks the unofficial start of summer. We’ve already given you some ideas for fun things to do this summer: concerts, outdoor fun, movies (and more movies), travel ... but how about some local watering holes (no, not that kind)? We just updated the Austin360 Boozery Guide, which is chock full of breweries, cideries and distilleries to...

A video and message posted by a Green County, Oklahoma, mom is spreading quickly on social media. Christy Rowden posted the video Monday afternoon after a heartwarming moment at a park. >> Need something to lift your spirits? Read more uplifting news Rowden said she was at the park with her two children that afternoon when a bus of students from Oologah Upper Elementary...

The Library was the place to be. Not the Central Public Library. But the blue-and-red rectangular meeting room at Hotel Van Zandt. It was the location for a Toast of the Town salon to support the Neal Kocurek Scholarship Fund for health sciences careers, operated by the St. David’s Foundation. Thirty or so lucky souls were treated to an enlightening public talk between journalist and author...

We all want to come home to a healthy and happy home and leave our place in the morning with a good mindset too. But often, little things we barely notice in our day-to-day routine can alter our mood when we walk through the door. Piles of unopened mail, a lock that gets stuck easily or pairs of shoes that can easily be tripped over can affect our psyche even if we don’t realize it. Additionally...

Mirrors are one of those accessories that tend to be either overused or underused. They come in all shapes and sizes, colors and finishes, and as such serve as the perfect complement to nearly any space. Mirrors can be purposeful in design, and if used thoughtfully, can add considerable value to a space both aesthetically and functionally. When looking for ways to use mirrors in your space, here are...

Choosing flooring can be intimidating. Not only are there dozens of options to choose from, but there are also a number of important factors to consider with each material. This summary of the pros, cons and costs of popular flooring types will help you choose the best option for your home and lifestyle. HARDWOOD You can’t beat the beauty, durability and versatility of hardwood flooring and...

In the winter months, Dan and I don’t have folks over as much, preferring to cocoon when we’re home. But one of my rites of spring is dressing my table and sending out invites, welcoming friends back to our cottage. It was a quiet day at the cottage, so I pulled out all my must-have tools for setting a great table, many of which are brand-new pieces. Then, I went into my table-setting...

They crouched at the toe of a north-facing cliff, all hearts and flowers in a mass of pink. It flew by so fast I was unable to look closely, so I parked and hiked back to the rock face. Fine land slide material had built up over many years in one spot, just inches at the toe. In this well-drained, relatively infertile mineral soil grew the Pacific bleeding heart (Dicentra formosa). It was my first...

Q: Hi Ed: We want a new trendy faucet for our kitchen, the type that has a built-in spray head. But, I’ve noticed that some of these faucet spray heads pull out of the faucet body, and some heads pull down. Is there a reason to choose one type of these faucets over the other? — Linda, Maine A: This is a popular question. Pull-out and pull-down kitchen faucets are similar, and why one type...

As we all strive to get our hands on every native milkweed for our states and to the ultimate benefit of the Monarch butterfly I thought I might plug its use for the other guys. Your first thought might be I’m talking about the Queen or Soldier butterflies that are related to the Monarch and also must have milkweeds as larval host plants. That’s important too, but I am speaking for the...

Humans are naturally drawn to curves. They represent our own bodies and give us a sense of comfort and security. But people don’t generally think about curves when it comes to pulling a room together. At the heart of all design are the concepts of space, line, form (derived from line), light, color, texture and pattern. A comfortable and balanced space has a sense of harmony, contrast and unity...

You're asleep, right? You can hardly be expected to control your actions, much less your thoughts. But if bad dreams are ruining your sleep (and affecting your waking moments), you can work to eliminate or minimize them, according to psychologists and sleep experts. "One way of thinking about dreams is that they're part of the same problem-solving processes that we use during the day time,&quot...

Nothing lasts forever. Y’know that exciting feeling at the beginning of a relationship when all you want to do is spend time with your new partner and everything they do is endearing? Yeah, that doesn’t last forever, either. According to a survey conducted by Mattress Clarity (because who knows relationships better than a mattress company?), the “honeymoon period” at the...

We always cheer the
Austin Under 40 Awar
ds
ceremony, not just because it benefits two worthy causes,
YWA Foundation and the
Austin Sunshine Camps, but also because so many rising social stars end up among the winners. Toya Bell picks up the Austin Under 40 Award for Mentor of the Year. Contributed by Lauryn Vaughan of Not Purple...

If you suffer from chronic migraines, relief is here. According to The Associated Press, the Food and Drug Administration last week approved Aimovig, a monthly shot that aims to reduce migraines. The drug, developed by Amgen Inc. and Novartis AG, is "injected monthly just under the skin using a pen-like device," the AP reported. Its price tag: $6,900 annually before insurance. But how...

ARIES (March 21-April 19). You depend on others for many of your needs, but you don’t necessarily stop and wonder what goes into producing the results. Today changes that, as you’ll find out exactly what you’re buying, how it’s made and more. TAURUS (April 20-May 20). Control your destiny by consciously taking responsibility for your thoughts. Though you can’t totally...

Illnesses caused by disease-infected ticks, mosquitoes and fleas have tripled in the U.S. in recent years, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Lyme disease is the most common illness attributed to ticks. “It’s the most common vector-borne disease in the Northern Hemisphere and in North America, in the U.S. specifically,” says Dr. Bobbi...

“Stall Catchers” Alzheimer’s research game stallcatchers.com —- Want to cure Alzheimer’s? Get in line. Researchers have long been puzzled by the disease and vexed by how long it’s taking to unravel its mysteries. One group of scientists is helping speed up that process with assistance from the public. “Stall Catchers,” a game created by Cornell University&rsquo...

One July evening, Carol Harnett was in a crosswalk in downtown Portland, Ore., when a driver made an illegal turn and hit her. Transported by ambulance to a hospital, she was diagnosed with a severely sprained right ankle and left wrist, as well as a concussion. At the emergency room, doctors gave her steel-reinforced braces for her wrist and ankle and told her she was free to go. “But I can&rsquo...

PHILADELPHIA — Dodging the clouds of toxic cigarette smoke along city streets and at building entrances has become the norm for those wanting to avoid the health risks from breathing in second-hand smoke. But if you think being in a smoke-free building will shield you from the negative health effects of second-hand smoke, you are in for a surprise. Now there is third-hand smoke: the residue...

We live in a golden age of investigative journalism. Not just the renaissance of political reporting at the federal level. But in-depth articles and investigative packages cascading
from newspapers such as the American-Statesman, as well as other local, regional and national media. Jack Keyes and Syeda Hasan at the Molly Awards for the Texas Observer. Michael Barnes/American-Statesman...

Re: May 16 article, “Texas sues national drug maker for ‘deceptive’ opioid practices.” I see that Attorney General Ken Paxton is filing a lawsuit against Purdue Pharma for worsening the opioid crisis among Texans — for placing corporate profits over the well-being of people’s health. Good. I’m surprised that Paxton is interested in people; I thought his job...

Chelsea Steiner is a certified emergency medical technician, but she doesn't have a job in that field yet. She works as a manager at Domino's, volunteering with paramedics in her free time to get hands-on experience. » RELATED: 7 places in the Atlanta area to learn child and infant CPR Earlier this week, when she was visiting friends on Maryland's Eastern Shore, Steiner, 22, had an...

While you watch the royal wedding on TV , your kids can be enjoying a story time all about a “Wedding of the Century.” And
while proud parents will be celebrating graduation at the University of Texas, you can give your kids a love of education
at the Summer Reading Splash! These are just some of the events happening this weekend. Look for a great weekend with highs...

A groundbreaking study is being done at Boston Children's Hospital that researchers say could potentially predict whether a child as young as 3 months old is at-risk for developing autism. Right now, most children can't receive a reliable diagnosis until they are at least 1 year old. Chase Minicucci and his mother, Hillary Steele Minicucci, regularly go to Boston Children&rsquo...